How a Friendship Grows
by iloveromance
Summary: When Marcie calls and asks for Charlie Brown's help, he can't believe it. But he realizes that in order to help her, he must ask for help from his trusted friend, Dr. Niles Crane. Together the two of them do their best to make Marcie happy again. For Kristen3 and LeighAnn415.
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N: This story evolved from a series of Peanuts comic strips from October 1990 of which I'm using some of the dialogue. It was such a touching series that I could see a connection to my favorite television show. Cartoon and real-life characters interacting might be kind of strange to imagine, but hopefully I've done it well. Dedicated to Kristen3 and leighAnn415**_

When the phone rang, Charlie Brown lowered the volume on the television and went to answer it.

"Hello?"

 _"Charles, I'm coming over to see you."  
_

His eyes widened at Marcie's request. She was his friend but the idea of her-or anyone else for that matter—coming over to see him was practically unheard of.

"Me?"

 _"Yes. I need to talk to you."  
_

"Me?" He asked again.

" _Yes! And please stop saying 'me'!" she yelled._

Charlie Brown looked at his dog Snoopy who sat on the sofa beside him. "Us?" He asked, still in disbelief.

The dial tone buzzed in his ear, a signal that Marcie had hung up on him. Apparently Marcie wasn't fond of his attempt at humor, even if was pretty bad.

"Well, Snoopy. What do you think? It's kind of weird that Marcie wants to come over and talk to me. I wonder what she wants to talk to me about. I don't know any more about anything than anyone else does."

Snoopy, of course, didn't answer and instead wagged his tail. Crazy dog.

But Charlie Brown wasn't fooled. He knew that look that Snoopy always got at this time of day. He glanced at his watch and sighed. "Snoopy, you know I'd feed you, but

Marcie will be here any minute. I wonder-."

The doorbell rang and he went to answer it. As he expected, Marcie was on the other side. But what he didn't expect to see was how upset she looked; as though she might cry, or might have already been crying a little. He didn't know what to say. He'd never seen her so upset before. And so he just stood there, staring at her.

"Aren't you going to let me in?" She demanded.

Charlie Brown blinked in surprise. "What? Oh yeah. Come in." He opened the door wider to allow her to enter. "Would you like-." He was about to offer her a glass of water, but she moved past him and climbed onto the couch.

"What's going on?" He asked, after a long, uncomfortable silence. "Why did you want to talk to me?"

"My parents are driving me crazy, Charles! They want me to be perfect! They want me to get straight A's in school and do everything perfect! I'm cracking up, Charles! I shouldn't even be here! I'm supposed to be at home reading _Ivanhoe_!"

Charlie Brown was at a complete loss. He knew he had to say something but he had no idea what to say. Marcie always seemed so happy and she was such a good student and was constantly getting B-pluses and even A's; much better grades than he could ever make. How could her parents possibly expect her to do even better than that?

"I don't know what to say." He finally admitted. He expected her to be mad, but when she didn't reply, he became even more confused. "Marcie?"

He turned to look at her, surprised to find her holding a book, staring at the pages. Where had that book come from? Marcie must have been carrying it when she arrived at his doorstep. Funny that he hadn't noticed it before.

"Keep talking while I read this last chapter." She said.

But he could only stare at her in confusion. He was doomed. His friend had called him and asked him for help and he had no idea what to say.


	2. Chapter 2

Marcie held out her hands. "See how my hands shake, Charles? It's because of all of the pressure! My parents think that I should get perfect grades in everything every day." She jumped off of the couch and crawled onto a large plush chair that sat next to it, resting her head against the pillow. "And I'm so tired."

Now Charlie Brown was even more confused and worried. He'd never seen Marcie like this before; ever. He glanced at Snoopy and knew exactly what his dog was thinking;

" _When she wakes up give her a cookie."_

Crazy dog; always thinking that giving someone food was the answer to everything. But to a dog, food was always the answer. However, before Charlie Brown could even begin to think about what he should do, he noticed that Marcie was sound asleep.

Charlie Brown sank into his favorite beanbag chair that sat in front of the television. His favorite show was on but he just couldn't concentrate. All he could think of was his friend who was sound asleep in his mom's favorite chair and about how helpless he felt.

"There must be something I can do." he said to Snoopy. The dog, of course, would never answer him and at that moment Charlie Brown wished that Snoopy could talk. Oh, how he wished it. But naturally Snoopy just sat there, wagging his tail.

Suddenly the phone rang and Charlie Brown went to answer it.

"Hello?"

 _"Hi Chuck! What's up?"  
_

"Oh, hello Peppermint Patty. Well, actually…"

" _You're kind of shy, aren't you Chuck?"_

He should have expected the question, because he heard it all the time. But still, he was caught by surprise. _  
_

"Well, I, uh…"

 _"And you kind of like me, don't you, Chuck?"_

Another question he should have expected and one he had no idea how to answer. Sure he liked Peppermint Patty. Who didn't? She was a great friend and a great baseball player. But he didn't like her the way he liked the Little Red-Haired Girl. There was no one that he liked more than that. She was the prettiest girl that Charlie Brown had ever seen with her flowing red hair and her nice smile; not that she ever smiled at him-or even noticed him. But if she did, he knew that it would be nice. And so he said the only thing he could think of.

"Well, I uh…"

 _"Come on Chuck, admit it!"_ She went on. _"Why else would you seem so nervous to talk to me? You sly dog!"  
_

"Marcie's over here." He finally said, grateful to change the subject. "She's fallen asleep in one of our chairs."

"She's all _stretched out_!" His little sister Sally said from behind him.

" _Stressed_ out." He corrected. Sally was always getting everything mixed up. But as usual, she didn't care. She simply shrugged. "Whatever."

 _"Okay, Chuck. Thanks for letting me know!"_ Peppermint Patty said.

When he'd said goodbye to Peppermint Patty, Charlie Brown watched his friend sleeping soundly in the chair. He was really worried about her. And there was absolutely nothing in the world that he could do about it.


	3. Chapter 3

He was just about to sit down and force himself to think of a way to help his friend when he heard the doorbell ring. Quickly he went to answer it. Just as he'd guessed, Peppermint Patty stood on the other side. He knew that she'd come over right away when she heard about Marcie.

Peppermint Patty was a good friend to Marcy. In fact, they were best friends. Charlie Brown wished that he had a best friend, but pretty much everyone thought that he was a blockhead; Lucy, Frieda, Violet, and probably lots of other people. But he wished that no one would ever think of him that way. He couldn't help it if he was different.

"Hello, Peppermint Patty." He said to his friend. He noticed that she wasn't smiling the way she usually did, which meant that she was just as worried about her friend Marcie as he was.

"Where is she, Chuck?" Peppermint Patty demanded. "Where's Marcie?"

He led her to the plush chair in the living room. "She's in here, sound asleep."

When they stopped at the chair Marcie was indeed still sleeping, exactly the same way she'd been when he'd left her.

"She was telling us how much stress she's been under lately and she just fell asleep." He explained.

Peppermint Patty shook her head sadly. "Poor Marcie. She's too hard on herself."

Snoopy whimpered and Charlie Brown knew exactly what the dog would say; if Snoopy could talk that is.

"No Snoopy, I don't think that Marcie needs a dog." He told his sometimes-faithful companion and so-called "man's best friend".

Something inside told Charlie Brown that there was no way that her parents would let her get a dog. If they were so strict about her grades and wanting her to be perfect (which was completely silly. _No one_ was perfect. He was reminded of that every day), he could only imagine how they'd feel about having a dog in the house!

Suddenly Marcie's eyes opened and she lifted her head from the couch, looking around in confusion. "Where am I?"

"You're at my house, Marcie." Charlie Brown explained. "Don't you remember calling me and telling me that you wanted to come over?"

She sat perfectly still for a moment and then her expression told him that she finally realized where she was. And now she looked worried. "I don't _want_ to go home, Charles! Can't I stay here?"

Charlie Brown looked at Marcie and then at Sally. "Well, I... uh..."

"If I go home I have to be perfect!" Marcie said. "I can't be perfect the way they want me to be perfect, Charles! I just can't! I don't know _how_ to be perfect!"

He started to say something when he heard Sally yell; "If she doesn't want to be prefect and she doesn't know how, she's come to the right place!"

Charlie Brown cringed and shook his head in dismay. Leave it to Sally to remind him of what a blockhead he was. Now he was afraid that Marcie and Peppermint Patty would think that he was a blockhead too! But even if Marcie did think he was a blockhead, he still wanted to help her. He just wished he knew what to do.


	4. Chapter 4

With a sigh, Marcie jumped out of her the plush chair and followed Peppermint Patty to the door. As they stood on the porch, Marcie sighed again. Sighing was never a good sign.

"What's wrong Marcie?"

The moment the words were out of Charlie Brown's mouth, he regretted them. He really was a blockhead! Why would he ask Marcie what was wrong when he knew darn well what _was_ wrong? But amazingly she wasn't mad that he'd asked the stupid question. In fact, she looked almost… relieved.

"As soon as I walk in the door, my mother will ask _'Have you finished your homework_?'" She explained. "All they care about is that I'm getting straight A's so that I can go to some college that they've already picked out for me; a place I'm sure that I'll just hate!"

Charlie Brown gasped. " _College?_ "

What was wrong with Marcie's parents, worrying about where she was going to go to _college_? That was a million years away! They'd be so old by then and more than capable of making their own decisions. Charlie Brown's parents always told him that he could go to whatever college he wanted to; and that he didn't have to be a barber like his dad. He could be whatever he wanted to be. The same applied to Sally and for her, college was even further away. So why were Marcie's parents so worried about it now? It only made him worry even more, and now he was even more worried about his friend. But before he could even say anything, Sally spoke again.

"And end up marrying some nerd!" She shouted.

Charlie Brown was humiliated. Why did his little sister always have to say such mean things? He loved Sally, but sometimes he wished he was an only child. Marcie felt bad enough without Sally making things worse.

Just then he wasn't sure if he was happy or mad that the phone began to ring, and he almost forgot about worrying about Marcie. But he knew that he couldn't just stand there. He knew that he had to answer it.

However, he picked up the phone and almost wished that he hadn't.

 _"Wa wa wa…"_ came the muffled voice over the phone. And it didn't sound happy at all. It sounded angry and concerned. He made sure he listed to every word carefully, the way he'd been taught in school.

"Yes ma'am. She's here."

 _"Wa, wa, wa…"_

"Yes ma'am. I-I'll tell her."

As he stood there, holding the phone, he suddenly saw Marcie standing next to him. It was as though she knew who was on the other end of the line. And he had no choice but to tell her the truth and hope that she wasn't mad at him.

"It's your mom." He said reluctantly, feeling guilty for his reluctance. It was her mom after all.

"I knew she'd call." Marcie said. "Sometimes I feel like I'm on a leash."'

Charlie Brown couldn't help but glance over at the plush chair where Marcie had been taking her nap, surprised to find that Snoopy had taken her place. He wondered if Snoopy had heard their conversation. Dogs knew very well what it felt like to be on a leash. And Snoopy seemed to be thinking; _"Tell me about it!"_

But it was for the dog's own good. He'd hate for Snoopy to run away and never come back. He'd lost Snoopy once, when Snoopy had run away to see Lilia, his previous owner. That was the saddest day of Charlie Brown's life. And the happiest day was when Snoopy had come back. It was funny how things had worked out the way they had.

"I should go, Charles." Marcie said. "My mother's very mad at me and said she wants to give me a good talking-to when I get home."

Now he felt even worse. All he wanted to do was to try to help his friend when she'd called him to say that she was coming over. But he'd ruined things yet again.


	5. Chapter 5

No wonder no one liked him.

Lucy certainly didn't like him. If she did, she'd let him kick the football, at least once. He knew he could do it, but he always landed flat on his back. However, he wasn't going to stop trying, ever. He was going to kick that football to the moon one of these days!

Peppermint Patty probably didn't like him anymore for not calling her the way he used to and telling her that Marcie had come over. She and Marcie were best friends; or they seemed to be. He wished he had a best friend. Peppermint Patty was even friends with Snoopy. She was always calling him a sly dog and referring to Snoopy as the _Funny-looking Kid with the Big Nose_.

Linus probably didn't like him for many reasons, most of all for Charlie Brown calling him _stupid_ for sitting in a pumpkin patch on Halloween night, waiting for the Great Pumpkin. Halloween had been over for months and months and was still a long, long way off, but Linus still couldn't get it through his head that there was no Great Pumpkin.

However, Charlie Brown would never call anyone a Blockhead and he knew that Linus would never say it to him, but deep down he knew that it could happen eventually. And he dreaded that day every day of his life.

Schroeder didn't like him, although he wasn't sure why, but there must be a reason. It wasn't even baseball season yet and Charlie Brown was already dreading the upcoming season. Although there was one bright spot; it wasn't possible to lose more games this year than they'd lost last year. So he was sure that Schroeder didn't like him because of that.

And then there was the National Spelling Bee that Charlie Brown had lost because he couldn't spell Beagle. How hard was it to spell the name of Snoopy's breed? Snoopy could probably spell it better and dogs couldn't even talk! But at least no one laughed at him after he got home from his trip. His parents told him that they were proud of him and even Sally said she was proud of him. Words like that made him smile until he realized that they had come from his parents and sister. They had to say things like that. It's just what family members did for each other.

He was so preoccupied in making a list in his head of the people who didn't like him that he hadn't realized that Marcie was gone and that he was now staring at the closed door. Now Marcie probably hated him, too. The least he could have done was to tell her goodbye and tell her he'd see her at school tomorrow.

With a sigh he walked over to where Sally was sitting in the big beanbag chair watching TV. She was younger than he was, but at least she was there and he could talk to her.

"I'm worried about poor Marcie." He said. "Her parents insist that she get straight A's. What do you think about that, Sally?"

She looked at him for a moment, as though thinking hard about her answer. "We're lucky. It's kind of nice living in a C-minus home."

"Oh brother…" Charlie Brown groaned. He should have known better than to ask Sally's advice. But there was some truth to what she'd said. Their parents weren't nearly as strict as Marcie's when it came to grades. All they wanted Sally and Charlie Brown to do was to try their best. But unfortunately, Charlie Brown's best consisted of C's and D's.

He was about to say something else when he realized that she was no longer paying attention to him and was watching the television again. Some help she was.

He wished he knew what he could do, because right now he was confused and worried. And that worry was what might make him lose his friend Marcie. He really didn't want that.


	6. Chapter 6

Charlie Brown sat in class listening to Miss Othmar drone on and on. Quite possibly she was talking about an upcoming book report (hopefully not on _War And Peace_ , however! He'd already had quite enough of that book to last a lifetime. It wasn't that it was a bad book, just very, very long. And it took him all night the night before Christmas vacation ended to finish it. By the time he wrote the last word on his book report, he was exhausted, and he'd barely remembered what he'd written. No wonder he'd gotten a D-Minus), or about George Washington. Frankly he couldn't be sure, for he wasn't really paying attention. He knew that he should; pay better attention that was. But how could he possibly concentrate when all he could think about was Marcie and about how he could help her?

He could see her clearly, sitting in front of him, writing down every word hat Miss Othmar was saying. Poor Marcie… she studied so hard and never received any praise for her efforts. The only thing that her parents seemed to care about was that she be the perfect daughter. Boy was he glad that his parents weren't that way. He tried his best in school (most of the time anyway) and so did Sally. And although he wished that he were a better student, he knew that all that mattered was that he tried his hardest. He only wished that Marcie's parents would feel the same about their only daughter.

"WA!"

Startled, he looked up to find Miss Othmar standing in front of him, wearing a look of anger that he'd never seen before. "Um… Yes, Miss Othmar?"

"Wa..wa. wa…"

"Th-the answer? Um… Red? Twelve?"

Turns out that it wasn't the right answer at all. It was the wrong answer.

"Wa..wa… wa… wa…. WA!"

"Y-yes, ma'am."

His classmates began to laugh. Oh, how they laughed! They laughed until their sides ached (Charlie Brown could tell by the way they were holding their stomachs) and they were still laughing when Charlie Brown grabbed his books and headed for the principal's office.

"Wa, wa wa…"

Charlie Brown looked up at the principal with wide eyes. His knees were shaking so badly that he could barely stand. "Y-yes sir. I understand. Yes I promise to pay attention in class. No more daydreaming."

He wanted so badly to tell the principal that he wasn't daydreaming at all. That he was worried about Marcie. But as usual he didn't say a word.

"Gee, Charlie Brown I'm sorry that you were sent to the principal's office."

Charlie Brown smiled and leaned against the low brick wall, where he and Linus often came to think and talk. "Thanks, Linus. It was my own fault that everyone laughed at me, but I couldn't help it. I have something on my mind."

"What's wrong, Charlie Brown? Maybe I can help you."

Charlie Brown sulked. "Unfortunately there's no one that can help-." He paused and looked at his friend, smiling for the second time in a row. Of course Why hadn't he thought of it before?

Linus was looking at him like he was crazy. "Something wrong, Charlie Brown?

He looked at Linus and then at his watch. It was a blue and white watch. He'd gotten it for his birthday from his grandma and he really liked it. "I-I just remembered that there's something I need to do. So long, Linus."

"Charlie Brown, wait!"

But Charlie Brown was in too much of a hurry. Finally he'd figured out a way to help Marcie. He just needed a little help from a friend.


	7. Chapter 7

When he reached the big blue house next to his own, Charlie Brown was so tired that he could hardly catch his breath. But he didn't have time to rest. If he was going to help Marcie, he had to do it soon. His hands and fingers were shaking as he reached out to ring the doorbell. And then there was nothing to do but wait. He waited and waited. But then he began to panic. Oh no! What if no one was home? When he'd finally figured out a way to help his friend, he'd come rushing over to the big blue house. But he/d never once considered that no one would be home.

Wearily he sank onto the steps of the porch and sighed; his elbows on his knees, his hands on his chin.

"I'm doomed..."

Suddenly he heard the door open and in surprise he jumped to his feet. His heart was beating like crazy when he caught sight of his next-door neighbor.

"D… Dr. Crane…"

He expected Dr. Niles Crane to be angry that Charlie Brown had showed up at his house unattended. But the kind man with blonde hair smiled warmly. He was one of the few adults that didn't make Charlie Brown feel small and unworthy. And Dr. Crane was the nicest (and the most interesting) man that Charlie Brown had ever known. Dr. Crane's wife, Daphne was very nice too. Dr. Crane wasn't the kind of doctor that people went to when they were sick with a cough or cold. He was a doctor that people went to when they were sad or confused and needed someone to talk to; someone who would listen. He was a doctor who listened to their troubles and did his best to help them.

Dr. Crane was really smart, too. He'd gone to really big, really important colleges; one of them was even in a different country…. England. Charlie Brown couldn't imagine going to school so far away. And Dr. Crane's older brother was a doctor too, just like Niles. But Charlie Brown had never met Frasier because Frasier lived in Boston. Charlie Brown didn't even really know where Boston was (he wasn't very good in Geography), but he did know that Boston was really far away. However, if he'd paid more attention in school, he'd know. He cringed at the thought. How could he possibly be expected to concentrate at school if he wanted to help Marcie?

"Charlie Brown, what brings you here?" Dr. Crane was asking.

Charlie Brown swallowed hard. "Well, I, uh…"

"David's not here now, but I'd be happy to tell him that you stopped by."

Charlie Brown sighed at the mention of Dr. Crane's son, David. "No thanks, Dr. Crane. David wouldn't want to play with me anyway."

His comment got his neighbor's attention. "Now why would you say a thing like that?" Dr. Crane asked. "I'm sure that David would love to play with you. Sure, you're different ages, but that's what having a friend is about; finding someone who's different. Having different interests is what makes people learn and grow. Trying new things is important, you know. When David gets home, I'll tell him that you stopped by, okay?"

"Well, I, uh…"

"Is something wrong, Charlie Brown?"

Charlie Brown tried to open his mouth to tell Dr. Crane why he had come but he found that he couldn't do it. But if he couldn't do it, he'd never be able to help Marcie.

"I'm doomed…"

Now Dr. Crane was looking at him the way that grownups did when they knew that something was wrong. "Charlie Brown, what are you talking about?"

Charlie Brown lowered his head. And then he felt Dr. Crane's hand on his shoulder. "What's wrong? Are you sure there's nothing you want to talk about?"

"No…" Charlie Brown said glumly.

"Well, I want you to know that I'm your friend and if you ever need anything…"

"I'm a blockhead."


	8. Chapter 8

The moment the words were out of Charlie Brown's mouth, he saw Dr. Crane fold his arms in front of his body, the way Charlie Brown's parents often did. And Charlie Brown knew all too well what it meant.

"Charlie Brown, you are not nor will you ever be a blockhead." Dr. Crane said firmly. "I thought we talked about this."

Charlie Brown hung his head even lower than before and stared at his shoes. "Yes, sir."

"Now what's this all about?"

"It's nothing, Dr. Crane. I don't want to bother you."

"You know that you're never a bother, Charlie Brown. You're welcome to come over any time. But you didn't just come over to say hello, did you?"

"No…"

"I want to help you, Charlie Brown."

"Well, I, uh… I have this friend, Marcie and-"

"The little girl who wears glasses? I've seen her around the neighborhood when I've picked up David from school. She's very sweet. Very shy, am I right?"

"Yes, but…"

"I'm sorry, Charlie Brown. I didn't mean to interrupt you. Go on…"

"Well, Marcie invited herself over to my house. She'd never done that before and I couldn't figure out why. It turns out that she was-." He froze, suddenly afraid to say anything more. But he had to help her, he just had to.

"Yes?"

And then he couldn't take it anymore. "It's awful, Dr. Crane!" Charlie Brown said. "Marcie is such a good student, but her parents want her to be perfect and make straight A's all the time! They never tell her how proud they are of her that she works so hard. They just expect her to study all the time!"

Charlie Brown knew that he was talking too much and too fast, but he simply couldn't seem to stop. And amazingly Dr. Crane was still listening to him. And so he continued.

"She was so tired when she came over that her hands were shaking and she just fell asleep on my mom's favorite chair! Maybe I should have given her a cookie when she woke up like Snoopy said!"

As Charlie Brown expected, Dr. Crane looked at him like he had gone crazy. He wished that he could take the words back, but it was too late now.

"I thought…" Dr. Crane began slowly. "I-isn't Snoopy your dog? He has that red doghouse in the backyard?"

"Yes." Charlie Brown said. "I didn't mean that Snoopy really told me to give Marcie a cookie. Dogs can't talk."

Dr. Crane laughed softly, but it wasn't the kind of laugh that meant that he thought that Charlie Brown was crazy, the way Lucy and Violet often laughed at him. It was the kind of laugh that told Charlie Brown that Dr. Crane understood.

"Well, it's nice of you to want to help." Dr. Crane said.

"But I _didn't_ help, Dr. Crane!" Charlie Brown said, aware that his voice was getting higher and louder with each word. "I think I made it worse! I didn't help her at all and now

I don't know what to do! I-." Horrified, Charlie Brown covered his mouth with is hands. He didn't mean to blurt out his feelings the way he'd done. And just when he felt like crying (something that would really embarrass him), he saw Dr. Crane smile.

"I understand and Marcie is lucky to have a friend like you who cares so much. Look, I'll tell you what. The next time you see Marcie, why don't you bring her by? I'd be happy to help."

Charlie Brown could hardly believe what he was hearing. "Really? You mean it?"

"Of course. I'll be glad to help. Anything for a friend."

Charlie Brown was so excited that he ran toward Dr. Crane and hugged him. He'd never done such a thing before, and he worried that Dr. Crane might be mad. But instead of being mad, Dr. Crane hugged him back.

A hug from a friend (especially a grown-up friend) was always welcome.


	9. Chapter 9

The next day at school, Charlie Brown sat alone eating his peanut butter sandwich. It was what he always did at lunch, since no one of the other kids ever wanted to eat lunch with him. And of course he couldn't bring himself to go over and talk to the little red haired girl. But he wasn't stupid. He knew that it would never happen anyway. Normally he would have spent the rest of the week sulking about it, but that day was different. He wasn't waiting for the little red-haired girl that day. He was waiting for Marcie.

It was just his luck that she was nowhere to be found. So where was she? Marcie was always at lunch, always! When he spotted Peppermint Patty, Charlie Brown put the other half of his sandwich and the remaining cookies back into his brown paper sack and jumped off of the bench where he'd been sitting. And then he went running toward his friend.

"Peppermint Patty! Peppermint Patty! Have you seen Marcie?"

Peppermint Patty smiled. "Sure Chuck. She's inside studying."  
Charlie Brown's eyes widened. "Studying? But it's lunchtime!"

Peppermint Patty shrugged. "Well, I guess that studying was more important to her than eating. She made a B-plus on our history test but she said her parents wouldn't accept anything less than an A, so she asked Miss Othmar to give her a make-up test."

"A _make-up_ test?" Charlie Brown yelled. "For a B-plus? I'd be the happiest kid in the world if I got a B-plus on a history test!"

Peppermint Patty frowned. "So would I, come to think of it. In fact, I'd settle for a C."

"She can't stay inside the whole time and study, Peppermint Patty. She needs to eat lunch!" Charlie Brown said, a little too excitedly. He just hoped that Peppermint Patty didn't notice.

"That's what I told her, but she said that she wasn't hungry." Peppermint Patty said. "I guess she'll just wait till dinner."

Now Charlie Brown was really angry. "Darn her parents!"

"What?"

"Never mind, Peppermint Patty. I've gotta go. See you later."

"Chuck! Where are you going?" Peppermint Patty called to him as he hurried into the school. But once he was inside, he kept on running, straight to Miss Othmar's classroom.

When he got there, the door was closed and he peered into the tiny glass window. Sure enough, there was Marcie, sitting at her desk all alone, her nose stuck in her history book. It was the saddest sight that Charlie Brown had ever seen.

As slowly as possible, Charlie Brown opened the door to the classroom and crept inside. He did his best to stay as quiet as he could. Marcie was studying so intently that he didn't want to disturb her. But the moment he moved toward her desk, she looked up in surprise.

"Charles! What are you doing here?"

Suddenly he was embarrassed. "Well, I, uh… what are _you_ doing here?"

"Studying for my make-up test." Marie explained. "Miss Othmar is going to give me the history test again, during recess."

"But it's lunchtime! Aren't you hungry?"

Her stomach began to growl, giving him the answer he needed, but she quickly tried to cover her stomach with her hands. "No-not really. I mean…"

Charlie Brown smiled and reached into his paper sack. "Here."

She looked at the half of the peanut butter sandwich that he was holding in his hand. "What's that?"

"It's for you, Marcie. I thought you might be hungry."

For a minute he thought that she might cry and he quickly gave her the cookies. Finally, to his relief, she smiled.

"Thanks, Charles."

He looked down at his feet. "Marcie, can I talk to you for a minute?"

She shrugged. "Sure Chuck. But do you mind if I eat? I'm really hungry."

"Go ahead Marcie. I just had a question to ask you."

"Okay." She said, munching on her sandwich and cookies.

"I… um… I have this friend. M-my neighbor, actually. His name is Dr. Crane and he's very nice. I um… sort of told him about your parents and he wants to help you."

"But why?"

"Because he's my friend and that's his job; to help people. So will you walk ho9me with me? He lives next door and he's helped me lots of times. You know what a block head I am."

"No you're not, Charles."

He looked up in surprise, wondering if she'd really said what he thought she'd said. "What?"

"You're not a blockhead. Not at all. And the other kids shouldn't be so mean to you. You're a very nice boy, Charles and I like you a lot."

Charlie Brown felt as though he could fly. No one had ever told him that they liked him before. He knew that he shouldn't get his hopes up, because he always managed to ruin it when good things happened to him. But maybe, just maybe…

He swallowed hard. "S-so will you? Walk home with me?"

To his amazement, Marcie smiled. She smiled! And then she put her hand in his. "Yes, I will. Thank you Charles."

Charlie Brown's feet barely touched the floor as he floated back to his desk and sat down.


	10. Chapter 10

That afternoon, after walking from school hand-in-hand, Charlie Brown was a little nervous as they arrived at the big blue house and he quickly let go of Marcie's hand. "Um, here we are. I'll… go with you to the door and introduce you so that you don't feel embarrassed or anything."

Marcie smiled. "Thanks, Charles."

Charlie Brown was even more nervous than before as he rang the doorbell. He waited rather impatiently but the door soon opened. He looked up at Dr. Crane's wife, Daphne, who was smiling warmly.

"Hello." She said in that foreign accent of hers. He'd never heard anyone who sounded like she did and he liked it. He liked it a lot. Her smile made him almost forget why he had come.

"May I help you?"

"Oh, well, I'm…"

"This is Charles. And I'm Marcie." Marcie said.

Daphne laughed. "Charlie Brown! Of course! I'm sorry, I should have known. How are you?"

"I'm…"

"Charles said that his friend Dr. Crane is going to help me." Marcie said, making Charier Brown feel good about himself.

Daphne looked at Charlie Brown and Marcie as though she didn't understand. "Dr. Crane? But he's… Oh, what is wrong with me today? You meant me husband, Niles. I thought you were talking about his brother. Where is me head? I'll go and get him. Would you like some cookies and milk while you wait? It's nice to see you again,Charlie Brown and it's nice to meet you, Marcie. So why don't you come inside and I'll get your snack?"

Charlie Brown hesitated for a moment. He certainly didn't want to impose but he was kind of hungry, having only eaten half of his lunch. "Yes, thank you." He said eagerly.

Daphne led them inside her house which was the most beautiful house that Charlie Brown had ever seen in his life. But up until now he'd never been inside. They followed

Daphne into a nice room, decorated in blue and white and they sat down on the sofa.

"I'll go and get those cookies and milk and then I'll go and get me husband."

"Thank you, Mrs. Crane." Charlie Brown and Marcie said, almost in unison.

Daphne smiled. "Don't be silly. Call me _Daphne_."

"Okay, _Daphne_." Marcie said.

"Okay." Charlie Brown said a few seconds later.

Daphne began to laugh and touched his arm. "I'll be right back."

When Daphne was gone, Marcie turned to Charlie Brown. "Why does she sound funny when she talks?"

"She's from England. That's the way people talk over there. Remember when we went to France with the other kids from school? The people sounded different."

Marcie smiled. "I sure do, Charles. That was a fun trip. I-."

"Here you are." Daphne said, placing a plate of chocolate chip cookies on the coffee table. "And here's some milk. I hope you like cookies."

Charlie Brown inhaled deeply. "They smell good."

"I hope they taste good too. Mr. Crane doesn't think I'm a very good cook."

Before Charlie Brown could respond, Dr. Crane walked into the room and hugged Daphne, surprising her. It made Charlie Brown smile. It was the type of thing he'd seen his parents do many times.

"Dad doesn't know what he's talking about." Dr. Crane said. "You're a wonderful cook, Daphne and an even better wife."

"Niles, you know that's not true, but I love you for saying it." When Daphne kissed Niles, Charlie Brown looked away in embarrassment. But the grown-ups quickly parted, looking a little embarrassed themselves.

"Niles, this is-."

Niles smiled and held out his hand. "Charlie Brown, how nice to see you again."

Charlie Brown looked at Marcie, glad to see that she was smiling too. "Hello, Dr. Crane." Marcie said.

"I am Dr. Crane, but you can call me _Niles_. And you must be Marcie." He said, shaking her hand.

"Yes, sir." Marcie replied.

"Marcie, why don't you and I go into my office and talk for a while?"

Marcie looked at Charlie Brown worriedly, but he simply smiled, making her smile in return. And as she followed Dr. Crane, into his office, Charlie Brown knew that his friend was in good hands.


	11. Chapter 11

Charlie Brown munched on his cookies and drank his milk while he talked to Daphne about school and stuff, but he couldn't stop thinking about Marcie. Dr. Crane was a very nice man and Charlie Brown knew that he shouldn't worry. But it was hard not to worry, especially since he worried about everything all of the time anyway. He felt bad because Daphne was trying so hard to be nice to him, telling him all about their son David. She really was nice. In fact she and Niles were the nicest grown-ups that Charlie Brown had ever met and it made him smile. He was lucky to live where he did, next door to such nice people. David was probably nice too, but Charlie Brown hadn't had the chance to play with him. He hoped that he and David could be friends, some day. He'd really like that and he hoped that David would like it too.

Charlie Brown hadn't realized how long he'd been sitting there, until he noticed that the light outside was becoming soft and purple. That meant that it was time for dinner. His parents would be angry if he was late for dinner, even though he was just next door at Niles and Daphne's house.

"A-are Marcie and Dr. Crane still…"

"Um, yes. They're still in his office talking." Daphne said, reading his thoughts. How in the world had she known what he was going to ask? She was like a fortune teller or something! "But don't worry, Charlie Brown. I'm sure that everything is fine."

"I-I know, but-."

She smiled. "Niles is a wonderful psychiatrist. He's helped me with me problems many times over."

Charlie Brown was surprised. "Really?"

"Oh yes. Whenever I feel sad or angry or even unsure about something, he's always there to-."

"Um, Daphne?"

"Yes, Charlie Brown?"

He looked around, uneasily. "I should get home. My mother will be expecting me for dinner. But Marcy-."

"Oh, right. I'll tell her that you had to leave but Niles will be happy to drive Marcy home. So don't worry. She'll be fine."

He looked at her worriedly. "But-."

"It'll be all right. It was nice to see you and I'm sorry that David's not here. I'll have him come over when he gets home. He's on a school trip with is classmates to Italy. Isn't that exciting?"

"Really? You'll send him over?"

"Of course. Now, you'd best get home. You don't want you7r mother to worry. Shall I call her and let her know that you're on your way?"

"No ma'am. Thanks. I'll be fine. Thank you, Mrs. Crane… for the cookies and milk and for being so nice."

"Please, call me _Daphne_ , okay?"

Charlie Brown nodded. "Okay, Daphne. Goodbye."

As he headed for home, he thought again about how David was lucky to have such great people as parents. And he was lucky to have them as neighbors… and friends.


	12. Chapter 12

That night, Charlie Brown could hardly eat his dinner let alone sleep. He couldn't possibly sleep for worrying about Marcie. He knew that Dr. Crane, Niles was a nice man who understood kids and he had nothing to worry about. He tried to remember that as he worked to go to sleep that night.

After dinner, he did his homework and went to bed. But he couldn't even read his comic books the way he normally did. Snoopy jumped on the bed and Charlie Brown knew that Snoopy could tell that something was wrong. But until Charlie Brown could see Marcy again and ask her what happened, he knew that he'd just have to wait.

Finally he had stayed up so late that he fell asleep. But when he woke up he felt as though he hadn't slept at all.

Wearily he walked into school and it was hard to stay awake or even concentrate. But when he didn't see Marcie anywhere, he really started to worry. She wasn't in class, sitting in the desk in front of him the way she always did. And when he leaned over to whisper to Peppermint Patty to ask where Marcie was, Miss Othmar scolded him for disrupting for disrupting the class. And still he couldn't hide his worry. Something was wrong. Something was very, very wrong.

He was just about to start nibbling on his pencil again when the door opened.

"Wa, wa wa…" Miss Othmar said as Marcie walked into the room.

"Thank you, Miss Othmar. I'm glad I'm here too." Marcie said.

"Wa… wa… wa…"

Marcie did as she was asked and sat down at her desk in front of Charlie Brown. He wanted to say something to her, but she was talking to Peppermint Patty and he really didn't want to get sent to the Principal's office for talking in class. And so he decided to wait till it was time for recess.

It was a little easier to concentrate on school now that he knew that Marcie was there and he did his best to follow along with Miss Othmar as she pointed to the chalkboard and named all of the State Capitols. Then she looked directly at Charlie Brown.

Uh oh…

"Wa wa wa…"

Charlie Brown swallowed hard. "Me?"

"WA!"

He looked around, noticing everyone looking at him. "Th-the State Capitol Of California?"

"WA!"

"Um…"

To his surprise, Marcie leaned back and whispered into his ear.

"Th-the State Capitol of California is… um… Sacramento."

Miss Othmar smiled and congratulated him on knowing the correct answer and he looked around at his classmates, beaming with pride.

Linus was smiling at him and gave him a thumbs-up. Even Lucy looked impressed. Maybe one day she'd finally let him kick the football after all.


	13. Chapter 13

The bell rang for school to be over and the class cheered and scrambled out of the room in record time. But Charlie Brown and Marcie stayed behind. Normally he would have been racing out of the school with everyone else, but he wanted to make sure that Marcie was all right. And he was grateful that they were the only ones left in the classroom. He didn't want any of the other kids knowing why Marcie hadn't been in school. He'd felt bad enough, telling Dr. Crane… Niles, her secret. But now he was glad he had told his friend.

He waited while Marcie gathered her school books and together they walked out of the school. Neither of them said a word but by the time they reached the sidewalk, Charlie brown couldn't hold in his curiosity any longer. He turned to his friend.

"Marcie, can I talk to you for a minute?"

She shrugged. "Sure Charles, what's up?"

For a moment he didn't know what to say. And so he just stared at her.

"Is something wrong, Charles?"

"Marcie, why were you so late for school today?" His hatred asking the question but now that it was out there was no taking it back. But fortunately she didn't look mad.

"Charles, can I tell you something?"

"Sure, Marcie." Charlie Brown replied.

They walked over to the bench where Charlie Brown had eaten his lunch and sat down. For a moment neither of them spoke. But a few minutes later the silence was broken.

"Charles, the reason I wasn't in school today is because… well…" Suddenly she became quiet and it started to worry him.

"It's okay, Marcie. You don't have to tell me."

"No, I-I want to tell you, Charles. You see, Dr. Crane and I talked for a long time about my parents and how they always want me to be perfect. He's a very nice man, Charles. He understood me like no one ever has. He said that it's important to make good grades in school but that it's also important to have fun. My parents didn't understand that so he told me to tell them how I felt in a way that they would understand. I was really scared about talking to them because I was afraid that they'd get mad."

"And did they?"

"It was scary, Charles; very scary. But I did it. And they didn't get mad! They listened to me, really listened to me. We sat down in the living room and I told them how I've been feeling overwhelmed. I told them why I had gone to your house and I showed them my shaking hands. I told them that I was so tired from all that studying and do you know what happened?"

"No, what?"

"My mother started to cry and my parents hugged me a lot. They said they were sorry and that they didn't mean to upset me or put pressure on me. They just wanted me to do well in school. They said they were proud of me, Charles!"

Charlie Brown was so happy to hear that and he almost hugged Marcie himself, but he didn't want to scare her. "I'm glad, Marcie. You should be proud of how hard you work."

"Thanks, Charles."

"And then what happened?"

"My parents said they didn't mean to push me so hard and my mom called Miss Othmar and after they talked for a little while, Miss Othmar said that it would be okay if I came to school late. I went to bed earlier than normal last night and got to sleep for a long time. I know I should have been in school, but-."

"You needed your rest, Marcie." Charlie Brown said. "Sometimes that's more important than school. I'm, glad your parents understand now."

"So am I, Charles. They don't understand entirely, but they're beginning to."

Charlie Brown stood and moved his feet back and forth. "Um, Marcie… Can I walk you home?"

She held up her hand. "I'd like that, Charles."

Charlie Brown's fingers trembled as he slipped his hand into hers. Finally after all this time, someone liked him. And he liked her…

He liked her a lot.


	14. Chapter 14

When they came closer to Marcie's house, Charlie Brown began to feel nervous once more. What would he say to her when she went home? He knew that he should thank her, even though it sounded silly. But Marcie had helped him more than he had helped her. All he had done was ask Dr. Crane, Niles, to help her. But Marcie had helped him feel better about himself. Never in his life did he dream that someone would like him. And he found himself smiling all the way home.

"Here we are, Marcie." He said when they reached her driveway. He opened his mouth to say thank you, but again he found that he couldn't do it.

Rats.

But then something happened. Something he wasn't expecting.

Marcie stopped and looked at him. "Charles, can we go to your house instead?"

He couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Me? You want to go to my house?"

"Well, sort of."

Charlie Brown was very confused, but before he could ask what she was talking about, she grabbed his hand tighter and they began to run all the way to his neighborhood.

"Marcie, wait! Where are we going?" He yelled.

"Come on, Charles!"

As they reached the house on the other side of Niles and Daphne's house, he was almost out of breath. But he hardly noticed. He couldn't understand why she wanted to come to his house so badly. Sally might be home and he didn't want his little sister to say some of the silly things she'd said before. It was bad enough the first time. But then

Marcie stopped, not in front of his house but in front of Niles and Daphne's house.

"This isn't my house, Marcie."

She grinned. "I know, Charles. Your house is yellow. But I need to do something first. Is that okay?"

"Um, sure, but…"

"It won't take long. Please?"

"Okay, Marcie."

He followed her onto the porch of Niles and Daphne's house and suddenly he realized something. He'd follow Marcie anywhere.


	15. Chapter 15

_**Meanwhile, in the big blue house next to Charlie Brown's….**_

"I'll get it, sweetheart." Niles called to his wife when the doorbell rang. He was in the middle of reading a very dull medical report and although it was important that he read it, he was grateful for the distraction. With a smile on his face he went to answer the door. And as he did, he was pleased to see the two children standing on his doorstep.

"Well! Marcie! And Charlie Brown! To what do I owe this pleasure?"

The children looked up at him and smiled, although he could tell that they were a bit nervous. But after a short silence, Marcie spoke first.

"H-hello, Sir. Charles and I just came by to… well, it was my idea. That's all right, isn't it?"

Niles smiled. "Of course it's all right. Would you like to come in?"

"No thank you, sir. I need to make sure that Charles gets home safely. You can't be too careful around here."

Niles suppressed a chuckle and tried to hide his smile. The old saying really was true. Kids said the darndest things. " _Charles_ , huh?"

"Yes, sir. _Charles_ _Brown_." Marcie replied proudly.

Charlie Brown's cheeks reddened. "Yes, Dr. Crane. I mean, _Niles_. That's what she calls me. And to tell you the truth, I kind of like it."

"Well, Marcie, it's nice of you to take such good care of your friend."

"Oh, he's _more_ than my friend, Sir. I like Charles. In fact, I think I even love Charles."

Niles couldn't help but notice the stunned look on the little boy's round face and the way Marcie was holding his hand.

"That's wonderful, Marcie." Niles replied, grateful that he no longer had to hide his smile. "Thank you for coming to tell me."

"Oh, that's not why we came over, Sir." Marcie said.

Niles' eyebrows rose and he crouched down to the children's level. "Oh?"

"We came over because… well, I talked to my parents like you told me to."

"That's wonderful, Marcie. I knew you could do it. I know it was scary, but I'm proud of you."

"Thank you sir, I was scared too, but you know what happened?"

"What happened?"

"Everything happened, just like you said it would." She explained. "My parents said they were sorry for pushing me so hard and they even let me go to school late today so that I could catch up on my sleep. They said they were proud of me for working so hard but that they won't be so demanding all the time. I think they felt bad because they were crying when I told them what I've been feeling. But then they hugged me and told me that they loved me. So Charles and I wanted to come over and say thank you."

"It was my pleasure, Marcie… and Charlie Brown. And if you ever need my help again, feel free to ask. As my brother always says 'I'm listening'." He chuckled, knowing that the children wouldn't understand the significance of his older brother's trademark tag line, but he was proud to say it, whenever he could.

With a big grin on her face, Marcie ran toward him and threw her arms around him. "Thank you, Dr. Crane."

Overwhelmed with love for the sweet little girl, Niles returned the hug. "You're most welcome, Marcie."

"We'd better go." Marcie said. "My parents are expecting me for dinner and…" She paused and turned to Charlie Brown. "Charles, would you like to have dinner at my house? I'm sure my mother and father will say it's all right; especially after I tell her what you've done for me."

Charlie Brown's eyes widened, as though completely taken by surprise by Marcie's offer. "Yes! I-I mean, that would be great! I-I just need to go ask my mom and dad, but I'm sure they'll let me."

"Come on, let's go and ask them!" Marcie said. "Goodbye, Dr. Crane!"

"Goodbye, Dr. Crane! I-I mean Niles." Charlie Brown called to him as the children ran hand in hand toward the sidewalk.

Suddenly Niles felt a pair of arms around his shoulders and a familiar scent wafted under his nose. He smiled and sighed and turned into Daphne's embrace.

"Hello, my love."

She kissed him softly. "I love you, Niles… Oh look, isn't that sweet?"

He followed Daphne's gaze and laughed at the unexpected sight. When the children reached the edge of the sidewalk, Marcie turned and kissed Charlie Brown on the cheek.

And if Niles hadn't known any better he was certain that Charlie Brown floated all the way home, his feet barely touching the ground.

"I think they're in love." Daphne remarked.

Niles knew that Marcie and Charlie Brown were much too young to fall in love, but he'd never dream of ruining the moment. Daphne was a true romantic in every sense of the word and for that he loved her even more. He pulled her toward him and kissed her again.

"I think you're right, Daphne. Charlie Brown and Marcie are in love, just like we're in love. And always will be."

"Forever and ever." Daphne finished as they shared another kiss.

 _ **THE END**_


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